Dragged by the Rainbow
by JaceSienna98
Summary: Lazy, flaky, not very smart, and prone to relying on a magic 8 ball to make decisions for her, Ginsuya Kiddi knew she wasn't the best person to manage Seirin's basketball team...Aida Riko disagreed. OC-centric. Possible future pairing, but mostly focused around friendship.
1. Prologue

**Fair warning, this fic will get very 'pro-teamwork' and 'hooray friendship' cheesy at points. Those of you who liked that part about the show will probably be fine with it.**

…

Prologue

…

 **Kiddi**

"Have you thought about what high school you're going to attend next year?"

Kiddi blinked as she chewed on a piece of shrimp tempura. She looked over to the older girl who was watching her intently with large brown eyes. She was facing Kiddi, her legs crossed like she wanted her to tell her a story. Kiddi swallowed her shrimp and licked her lips.

"You know, Riko…" Riko leaned in slightly in anticipation as Kiddi spoke, "your eyes are almost exactly the shade of maple syrup." Riko's eyes widened in disbelief. "Not the lighter kind, but the really dark maple syrup…"

Kiddi winced as she was abruptly- arguably justifiably- smacked over the head. "I expect a serious answer!" Riko scolded her.

"I was giving you a _compliment_ ," Kiddi defended, rubbing at the injured area.

"I don't want a compliment, I want an answer!"

Kiddi sighed, straightening and rubbing the back of my head for a different reason. "...No. I mean, it's only the first semester…" She grinned sheepishly at Riko. "I don't want you to think I'm lazy, or anything."

"Don't worry, that ship has already sailed." Riko waved that off with a deadpan look.

"You're so mean, Ri-chan!" Kiddi whined as she pulled out another shrimp.

"You're getting crumbs everywhere."

"I'll vacuum before I leave."

There was a short moment of silence, before-

"Join Seirin."

Kiddi choked on her shrimp, hacking even harder as a small piece of fried batter lodged itself in her throat. After a moment of alternating smacking her chest and coughing violently, she was able to breath again.

"Did my dad put you up to this?" Kiddi wheezed.

Her dad was far too overprotective, whether that was because he felt he had to make up for the absence of her mom after they split five years ago, or because she used to be rather frail, Kiddi didn't know. Maybe it was neither, but he was still almost unbearably overbearing- ha ha, get it? Since he trained under Riko's father, Kagetora-oji, Riko and her had basically grown up together. Of course, as Kiddi's elder, he relied on Riko to look over her. Ridiculous, because she was already 13 centimeters taller than the older girl and now more than capable of taking care of herself.

"No...well, yes." Riko admitted. "But that's not the only reason." Kiddi raised a brow, mildly interested. "I want you to become the manager of the basketball team."

Kiddi managed to keep a straight face...for two whole seconds before she burst out laughing. "Me?!" She gasped out between laughs. "Y-you want m-me to-" Kiddi laughed even harder and Riko began to look annoyed. Kiddi was able to regain a small percentage of her composure as Riko raised her fist threateningly. "Ok, sorry!" Kiddi yelped. "Just...you want me to _manage something_?"

"Yes." Riko affirmed, seeming completely sure of her ridiculous choice. How could she be so sure while Kiddi was laughing her butt off at the mere suggestion? Sometimes Riko's faith in her was astounding- even more so, since she actually _knew_ her.

"Look Riko…" Kiddi started solemnly, putting a hand on Riko's shoulder dramatically. "I'm lazy-"

"We've established that."

"-I'm not very smart-"

"I tutored you through elementary school."

"-I rely on a mini magic 8 ball to make the tough decisions for me-"

"You really should stop doing that."

"-(I know) And I will likely skip out on at least half of your practices." Kiddi finished.

"I knew all of this before I asked." Riko stated blandly. At first, Kiddi expected her to say something like, 'but despite all of that…'

At the lack of said cliche encouragement, Kiddi looked at her incredulously as she dropped her hand from Riko's shoulder. "At the risk of sounding cliche-"

"Then just what was that whole scene about?"

"-why pick me?"

Riko stared back at Kiddi for a minute before smiling secretively. "Come to Seirin next year and find out."


	2. Chapter 1 Enter Kiddi!

**Chapter 1- Enter Kiddi!**

Kiddi stood at the gate of Seirin Academy with a slight frown.

First off, the sight of cherry blossom trees dropping pretty pink petals onto the large crowd made it look _way_ too dramatic and _way_ too troublesome. Her messy mop of shortish dark brown hair was also collecting petals and Kiddi had to continuously brush her fingers through her hair to keep them out. On top of that, there was the whole mishap with her registration papers...

 _Dad really shouldn't have filled mine out at the same time as Lori's._

Still, as Kiddi looked at the sailor uniforms, she really couldn't bring herself to regret the mishap that had allowed her to wear pants.

 _Thank kami._

Although, Kiddi wasn't exactly sure she was ready for whatever Riko had planned for her. Beyond being the manager of the basketball team- which already wasn't a thrilling idea- there was the ever-mysterious _reason_ for it. Riko had seemed so sure in her decision to appoint Kiddi as manager and while it made her curious…

 _The effort it would take to find out would be way too much._

Kiddi sighed and dug through her bag, pulling out...a mini magic 8 ball. "Okay, so is it too late to turn back?" She shook the magic 8 ball. _"My sources say no."_ Kiddi read off and then grinned, "Well alright, then!"

Unfortunately, as she turned around, she ended up bumping into someone.

Kiddi looked down in surprise at the boy she'd bumped into- and damn he was pretty short. She knew she was tall for a girl, but this kid was only only 5'5 or 5'6. She also noted his unusual light blue hair and impassive eyes that were slightly darker- pretty much the shade of the sky. How had she not noticed someone that unusual looking?

He looked up at her with unaffected eyes, a book in his hand. "I believe you are walking in the wrong direction."

"Nope." Kiddi admitted bluntly. "I was fully intending to leave before I bumped into you. Sorry about that, by the way, but you kind of appeared like some supernatural being or oddly short ninja."

That earned her another impassive look- although, it probably couldn't be considered _earned_ , since that seemed to be his default.

"Anyway…" Kiddi spoke, "I'm just gonna-"

"Kiddi!" A familiar female voice interrupted her from what sounded like _not too far_ away.

"Shit." Kiddi looked down to her magic 8 ball. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"

The magic 8 ball only confirmed her fears with a solemn, 'It is decidedly so.'

"I do not think that is especially effective." The bluenette- you know, like brunette, but blue?- added in.

"It really isn't." Kiddi sighed resignedly and then yelped when a hand grabbed the back of her collar and _yanked._

" _Which direction do you think you're facing?"_

The question was hissed out threateningly and Kiddi chuckled awkwardly. "Uh..home?"

As Riko began to drag her off while hissing threats with a pleasant smile and Kiddi desperately tried to break free while begging for mercy, Kuroko stared. Once they were lost in the crowd, he merely shrugged, although he did quirk a millimeter smile at the thought of the magic 8 ball.

* * *

"Argh! Ri-chan, you're choking me!" Kiddi gasped out as she was dragged through the sea of students. None of them looked particularly interested in helping her with her predicament, the jerks.

In reality, it was because she was dressed in the boy's uniform and Riko was a tiny girl. That left only two possibilities in the minds of the crowd. One) Kiddi was Riko's boyfriend and had severely pissed her off or two) Kiddi was being dragged to recruitment for a club- which was true- and she was a boy, so _he_ could handle it- which wasn't true. Besides, _nobody_ could handle Riko, female, male, alien, or otherwise.

"I brought our manager!" Riko announced cheerily and Kiddi froze in her grip, sweating bullets as she realized any chances of turning back had fallen through her fingers.

Kiddi let her feet finally stand firmly on the ground and stood to her full height, though Riko didn't seem willing to release her collar just yet. Nervously, Kiddi turned to the familiar face sitting at the basketball club sign up booth.

"Hey Hyuuga." The glare he shot her had Kiddi putting a hand to the back of her head and adding, "...Senpai."

"What are you wearing?" Hyuuga sighed, an irritated scowl on his face.

"Well, you see-"

"The new students are here." Interrupted a terrified sounding voice.

Riko and Kiddi both looked Hyuuga's shocked face in mild confusion before turning to see what the deal was. That was when they caught sight of a _very_ tall and muscular redhead with some pretty funky looking eyebrows- how did they just fork out like that?- with a completely terrified Koganei, tears streaming down his cat-like face as the redhead held onto the back of his collar like- well, kind of like one would roughly hold a cat by its scruff.

"What?" Riko asked, now sporting the same surprise as Hyuuga.

Kiddi just blinked and looked to Koganei. "Hey Koga-senpai."

Koganei's terrified expression morphed into a confused one as he squinted at her and then it shifted to surprise. "Ki-"

"Is this the basketball club?" All attentions were turned back to the tall redhead as he spoke, staring them down with intense red eyes.

 _Whoa, that's intense. It's like staring down some wild beast._

Kiddi eyed the male in thought as Riko answered with a dumbstruck, "Yeah."

"I want to join." Split-brows stated.

"What?"

"The basketball club." He clarified, sitting down and dropping Koganei gracelessly. Koganei just let his head rest on the table, not even having the mental energy to move after what had just occurred. Maybe he was traumatized...

Meanwhile, Riko's face split into a deceptively kind and welcoming smile and sat down across from the redhead. Kiddi moved to stand beside her, offering Koganei a look of sympathy as Riko cheered, "Um, welcome! Welcome! Wait a minute!" She even went as far as to have Hyuuga hand her a cup of water which she placed in front of him, next to the sign up sheet.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Kiddi sighed but yelped when her side was met with Riko's elbow.

Split-brows ignored her and just as Riko was about to lapse into her informational speech, bluntly stated, "I don't care." Hyuuga looked annoyed while Riko looked mildly intrigued and Kiddi shrugged but felt her own twinge of irritation rise at the blatant dismissal of her childhood friend. _Riko's worked really hard with this team._ "I'm going after I leave my name."

"Hey," Kiddi spoke up as he finished writing and Riko looked it over. The redhead turned his intense gaze up to meet her, but Kiddi's light grey eyes didn't waver, "If you really want to join, couldn't you try being less rude?"

The redhead- Kiddi spared a glance down at the paper and found his name to be Kagami Taiga- looked mildly annoyed at her statement. It was said as a question, but the implication was still there and Kagami scoffed.

"You're one to talk." Hyuuga stated, but looked slightly appreciative at Kiddi's intervention, quickly hiding it when she offered him a grin.

"You don't have a reason for joining?" All attention was back on Riko at the question.

"Not really." Kagami stated, gulping down the glass of water before crushing it.

 _He has to know that isn't actually that impressive, right? It's only paper._

Kagami stood with a bored expression, crushed cup in hand as he continued, "Basketball's the same no matter where you go in Japan." With that extremely biased statement, Kagami threw the paper cup over his shoulder and it landed squarely in one of the trash cans.

Despite herself, Kiddi whistled, "Alright, then." She looked over at Riko, who stared in troubled shock over at the crushed object before looking back over and catching Kagami's gaze before he turned it forward.

Kiddi took this moment to finally let her irritation overwhelm her and shout, "Show some respect, split-brows!"

She swore she saw Kagami trip before glowering at her over his shoulder and then stomping off. Kiddi would be lying if she said she wasn't proud of herself, and since that wasn't really in her nature, she smirked and turned to Riko.

"Serves him ri-"

She crouched down as she covered her head, rubbing at the painful bump that had formed from Riko's furious punch. Hyuuga showed no sympathy for her situation while Koganei just stared after Kagami with nervous sweat on his face.

"He's terrifying. Is he really a first-year high school student?"

"He's one in a million." A new voice chimed in.

Koganei's, "You, where have you been hiding?!" was drowned out by Kiddi's loud, "Izu-senpai!"

Izuki looked over at Kiddi, seeming surprised to see her there at all. This was only confirmed when he said, "Riko was actually able to convince you to come here?"

Before Kiddi could answer, Riko snorted and answered for her, "I found her at the gate two seconds away from turning back home."

At the deadpan stares from Izuki, Koganei, Hyuuga, and surprisingly even Mitobe, Kiddi chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "...My magic 8 ball seemed to approve." Apparently, her magic 8 ball was the _only_ one who approved of her, because the looks she got in response to that ranged from reprimanding to deadly. Kiddi let out a defeated sigh, "I know…"

Kiddi went on to completely ignore Hyuuga and Riko's review of Kagami's half-assed application- who cared if he was from America? He was rude. Although, her interest did spark when Koganei drew their attention to another application.

"Huh?" Riko seemed surprised. "I was here the whole time, but I don't remember him at all…"

"Well, that's mysterious."

Riko seemed to catch something on the paper as she let out a noise of surprise and brought it up to her face, squinting at the paper.

Hyuuga took her reaction in stride, simply looking over and asking, "What's wrong?"

"H-he's from the Teiko basketball club!"

"Teiko?" Hyuuga's eyes widened and he grabbed the paper from Riko. "You mean _the_ Teiko?"

"Right, Teiko." Kiddi cut in end everyone looked to her. "Who are they again?" Everyone let their mouths drop- save Mitobe- at her ignorance.

"Teiko!" Riko shouted, as if that explained everything. "The school with that legendary team, the Generation of Miracles!"

"Oh." Kiddi said and they all breathed sighs of relief. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

"Don't you listen to anything at all?!" Riko yelled and pulled Kiddi into a painful, suffocating headlock. "We only talk about them all the time!"

"Ri-chan-" Kiddi gasped. "Dying…" She received absolutely no sympathy from Riko or the other second years around her. _Traitors!_

"...Ano?" Riko was distracted from her choking of Kiddi when Koganei spoke up. They turned to him and he pointed to Kiddi. "Is no one else wondering why she's wearing the boy's uniform?"

To his exasperation, almost everyone else seemed to _just_ notice. He nearly fell flat at their collective- save Mitobe, who didn't talk and Hyuuga, who had attempted to question her about it earlier, only to be cut off- "Oh."

"Yeah, why is that exactly?"

"Well…"

And thus came the long explanation of how her sleep-deprived dad had tried to fill out her and her younger brother Lori's registration forms at the same time and mixed up their genders among other things. Her father was actually in the process of fixing things, though it had been amusing when Lori had been sent a female uniform instead of a male one. Her poor younger brother had been mortified, but he was allowed to wear normal clothes until a new uniform could be ordered. How awkward that must be for him...

* * *

It turned out that classes didn't seem to run nearly as long as they actually were when you just doodled or dozed through all of it. At least, that had been Kiddi's experience through all of her school career. She had never really been any good at paying attention. Anyhow, the day had passed by in a flash and it was time to go to basketball practice.

 _Or not?_

Kiddi tapped her chin as she made her way down the halls. After a moment, she pulled out her mini magic 8 ball questioned aloud, "Should I be nice to Ri-chan and attend practice?"

The 'without a doubt' sealed her fate and Kiddi changed her direction to the gym as she tucked the ball back into her bag. It wasn't long before she came upon a large set of doors.

Kiddi entered the gym just in time to hear the loud shout of, "Alright, looks like the first years are here!"

"Oh?" Kiddi questioned in surprise. "I'm not late…" Seeing that no one had noticed her, yet, Kiddi turned around. "If that's the case, might as well-"

" _Not so fast!"_

Kiddi jumped at least a foot into the air at the menacing hiss before landing on shaky legs. She looked over her shoulder with poorly hidden dread as she met the glare of Seirin's coach. Realizing another opportunity to run away had slipped away from her, Kiddi slowly turned to face the brunette.

"Ah, Ri-chan…"

She didn't get to say anything else before Riko yanked her collar and proceeded to drag her over to stand in front of the other first years, who sweat-dropped at the scene.

"I'm the boy's basketball coach, Aida Riko." Riko announced as she released Kiddi's collar, causing the tall girl to stumble back a bit.

"What?!"

Kiddi chuckled slightly at the shouts, even as she rubbed her throat from where her collar had basically been choking her seconds prior.

"It's not him?" The first year with brown hair, who was a couple inches shorter than Kiddi, pointed over at the old man seated over on the side of the gym with a cane between his hands.

"That's our advisor, Takeda-sensei." Riko answered and Takeda sensei seemed to rise from near death to give them a smile.

The shouts of surprise were both mildly amusing and unnecessary. Although, what happened next had Kiddi successfully folding over laughing.

"Now that you're acquainted with Takeda-sensei...take off your shirts!"

The shouts of absolute shock echoed back loudly through the gym, giving the boys a pitch they couldn't have reached on their own. _Ah, the acoustics in this room...so wonderfully dramatic._ Of course, any protests were silenced by a threatening look from Riko and the boys compliantly stripped their tops off.

 _I wonder if it would be more polite to avert my eyes..._

"Why doesn't he have to take off his shirt?!"

Kiddi blinked in surprise as one of the first years pointed an accusing finger at her. "Me?" Kiddi pointed at herself in surprise, sweat-dropping. "Actually, I'm-"

" _He_ ," Riko smirked deviously, "is the manager."

Kiddi gaped and then tugged Riko over to the side. "What are you doing, Ri-chan?" She whispered to the shorter girl.

"Shush, teasing the first years is so fun." Riko giggled evilly- Kiddi winced- never trust a giggling Ri-chan. "This is one time when your use of male pronouns comes in handy."

"Are you saying I'm boyish?"

Riko avoided answering that question in favor of shouting at the half-naked first years to, "line up!" Once they were all in a line, Riko began eying them. Kiddi was sure they all thought she was just a pervert until she began to give them all a good, analytic dressing down. They marveled at the accuracy of her assessments and wondered about how she knew all of it.

"Her dad's a sports trainer." Hyuuga explained. "Collecting data and creating a training regimen. It's a skill she learned from observing bodies and data every day at his workplace. When she looks at your bodies, she sees all your physical abilities in numbers." Which still sounded mildly inappropriate when taken out of context.

Kiddi didn't bother listening any more as she saw Riko look over the split-browed Kagami Taiga, the older girl gaping slightly. Kiddi raised a brow at her. _Is the rude dude really that impressive...also puns. Crude rude dude. Man, Izuki has been a bad influence._ As Kiddi came up beside Riko, she would admit to being impressed, letting a low whistle leave through her teeth. It sure as heck was a lot of muscle, she'd give split-brow's that much. _Which is great, so long as he knows how to use it on the court._

Hyuuga snapped Riko out of her daze and said girl apologized, but Riko looked down at her clipboard in confusion after he told her she had looked at all of the applicants.

"Really? Huh?" Riko looked up from her clipboard and looked around. "Is Kuroko-kun here?"

 _The mystery applicant?_

"I guess he's not here today." Riko said after a moment. "Alright, let's get started with practice!"

Riko's mouth was still open when a familiar blue-haired figure stepped right in front of her. "Um, excuse me." The figure spoke, raising his hand lightly. "I'm Kuroko."

Kiddi nearly jumped out of her skin, but at least her dramatic jerk wasn't as intense as Riko's loud shriek. Seriously, the kid appeared out of nowhere. While Kiddi had been fine with it the first time, figuring she just hadn't been paying quite so much attention, this was ridiculous, _especially_ when he announced he'd been there the whole time.

Seconds later, the first years were questioning him on his status on the Teiko team. Well, she said questioning, but it was a little more like dismissing any possibility of him being someone important to the team.

"I played in games." Kuroko stated, and if there was any annoyance at being doubted, he didn't show it.

The shocked reactions were starting to get old to Kiddi. "Don't you guys think you're being too doubtful? Haven't you ever been told not to judge a book by its cover?"

"And when's the last time you even _picked up_ a book, Kiddi?" Hyuuga questioned and Kiddi chuckled nervously.

"Take off your shirt!" Riko ordered and while Kuroko seemed mildly surprised, he quickly complied.

Kiddi watched Riko's reaction closely. She was surprised, like she had been with Kagami...but _not_ like she had been with Kagami.

 _His stats are that disappointing?_

By the time all of it was over Kiddi sighed in agitation. Dammit, despite everything...she was intrigued. That was the final nail her coffin, there was no way she'd be able to ditch this team.

 _Stupid Riko and her insistence that I become a stupid manager and stupid me for coming to this stupid school._

* * *

 **So everyone thinks Kiddi's a boy. That happened wholly for my real life and Riko's in story amusement.**

 **There are actually going to be a lot of OCs and some of them will even have their own connections to the story, but the main focus will be Kiddi and Seirin.**

 **Review?**


	3. Chapter 2 Miracles Do Exist

**Chapter 2- Miracles Do Exist**

"I really am stupid." Kiddi sighed. She had completely forgotten about taking the bus and now she was stuck _walking_ home. "Damn, that was stupid of me."

That was how she ended up passing by a small basketball court. On it were two familiar faces, admittedly it took her longer to notice one than the other. Red hair- Kagami- and light blue hair- Kuroko were barely illuminated under the street lights beside the court.

 _I almost didn't see either of them._

She made her way to half hide in a bush outside the court and just managed to catch Kagami throw a basketball at Kuroko. Luckily, the latter caught it, but the perpetual scowl on split-brows' face had Kiddi thinking he was trying to murder the short bluenette ninja.

Her ears perked as Kagami spoke, "The weak should smell weak, but you don't smell like anything and your strength had no scent."

Kiddi raised her brows. _So does he just go around sniffing people? And aren't those last two the same thing?_

"Let me see." Kiddi snapped out of her thoughts as Kagami continued talking. "Show me. Show me just how strong your Generation of Miracles really is." Kagami sounded thrilled at the end, but Kiddi brought her mind to something else.

"Generation of Miracles?" She whispered. "That thing Ri-chan was talking about earlier?"

Just for a moment, Kiddi thought that Kuroko's blue eyes met hers, but then he was talking in return to Kagami. "How fortunate. I've also been waiting to play you." Kuroko dramatically zipped down his jacket and flung it off, the garment fluttering out behind him and managing to stay up for a prolonged moment even without a breeze.

 _Gosh, how did he do that? For someone with so little expression, he sure is good with the dramatics._

"One on one." Kuroko finished, causing a feral grin to curl up on Kagami's lips once more.

"You wanna go?"

"What is this?" Kiddi sweat-dropped. "A shonen manga?"

While it started off all good and exciting- Kiddi could practically hear the rock music playing in the background- that quickly faded. Kuroko couldn't make a single shot or take the ball from Kagami a single time. His pace was slow, his stamina didn't seem that great, and his form wasn't at all impressive. Seriously, take it from someone who's dad was an NBA player and who was friends with the coach of high school basketball team who forced her to go to all of their games. Loathe as she was to admit it, Kiddi knew basketball pretty well.

Kagami got more and more disappointed-looking as the game went on. It seemed like his assessment of Kuroko was more or less the same.

 _That can't be it._ Kiddi narrowed her eyes as the blue-haired boy. _To just go up to Kagami and challenge him like that...there's gotta be something else…_ Kiddi sighed and slumped. _Or maybe I'm being optimistic and he's really just arrogant, but..._ Kiddi focused in on Kuroko harder. _He was on a really good team, he doesn't seem to be the arrogant type, and there's something weird about the way he just pops up out of nowhere…_

Kiddi jerked out of her thoughts abruptly as Kagami started shouting. Kiddi brought a hand to her chest to calm herself down. She had been so lost in consideration it seemed that she missed the point where split-brows finally got fed up. By the things he was yelling, it seemed like he had settled on the 'Kuroko the arrogant' theory that she had discarded.

"You can't be serious." Kiddi listened intently as Kuroko spoke again, "Of course you're stronger than me, I knew that before we started."

 _So, I'm right?_ Kiddi flinched back as Kagami reached out and grabbed Kuroko's shirtfront, pulling him up to face him. Kiddi knew she shouldn't have, but she had to smother laughter at the sight. Kuroko just looked so funny hanging in the air like that!

"You want a fight? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Okay, so that _wasn't_ so funny. Kiddi held herself back from intervening. For one thing, she still had time for the argument to settle itself so why get involved and waste her time? For another, she was honestly curious about how Kuroko would respond. _What kind of character are you, Kuroko?_

"I wanted to see how good you are for myself." Kuroko answered.

While Kagami seemed equal parts confused and annoyed, taking his hand off of Kuroko's shirt and putting it to his own head, Kiddi thought over the other's words. _Wanted to see how good you are for myself. How good you are for myself. How good…_

"Oh." Kiddi's eyes widened as she looked at Kuroko with a new sense of understanding. Taken out of context, it could have just been a simple team thing, wanting his team to be strong. Only, combined with Kuroko's seeming lack of ability and the way he went about it… "So, he's _that_ kind of player."

 _A support player. It's rare for that to be all a player does, but…_

"This makes so much sense!" Kiddi stated happily to herself, she almost forgot to quiet her tone, but luckily managed to remember. _I don't know what I'll miss if I get caught now._

Her happiness was shattered when she heard Kagami's, "I'm not interested in the weak."

Still, she was almost more interested in the- what was it? Knowing?- expression Kuroko made in response. Kagami went over and picked up his jacket before turning around and continuing, "Let me tell you one more thing, you should quit basketball." Kiddi's blood ran cold. "However much you try to cover it with nice words like effort, raw talent is a fact of life."

Kiddi felt heat coil in her stomach and face as her fists and teeth clenched together. Her whole body was shaking. For someone who had never really had a particular talent for anything, who had to work hard at anything to be even the slightest bit proficient- let's just say the words hit a chord with her.

"You've got no talent for basketball."

 _No talent? So if someone doesn't have any talent for something they'll never reach it. Effort doesn't matter at all?_

"I don't accept that."

The calm voice of Kuroko and the words he spoke were like a cold bucket of water to her angry flames and Kiddi looked back over to him in shock. Kagami seemed pretty shocked, too.

"What?"

"First of all, I love basketball." Kuroko stated and while some may have thought his tone was blank, Kiddi swore she could hear his passion in that statement. "And I don't share your opinion." Kuroko continued steadily, coming to stand over by Kagami. "I don't care who's strong or who's weak."

"What did you say?" Kagami looked more curious than irritated, and also very surprised that Kuroko would say something like that.

"I'm not like you." Kuroko stated. "I'm a shadow."

Symbolically, the street light happened to cast Kuroko's own shadow behind him. _Shadow- support._

Kagami merely clicked his tongue and walked off with an irritated, but conflicted expression. As he passed by her bush, Kiddi hid a bit further in the shadows, but froze when his eyes landed on her.

"Ha, ha-" Kiddi chuckled nervously. "I swear this at least started off as a coincidence."

"I don't care." Kagami scowled, walking off without another glance.

Kiddi stared after him and sighed, "How rude."

"Eavesdropping could also be considered rude, Ginsuya-san."

Kiddi yelped and jerked back, stumbling out of her hiding place made of bushes and shadows. Luckily, she managed to stay on her feet as she looked awkwardly at Kuroko, who stared impassively back.

"...I'm going to take a wild guess and say you knew I was here from the beginning?" At Kuroko's nod, Kiddi sighed. So much for her epic spying skills. "...Wait," Kiddi looked at Kuroko incredulously, "how do you know my name? All of the senpai's on the basketball team call me Kiddi."

"We are in the same class, Ginsuya-san."

"..." Kiddi actually regretted dozing off all class for once in her life, how could she have missed such a big detail? "I don't really pay attention to academic-related things."

"I noticed, Ginsuya-san."

"Adding a -san to the end of my name doesn't make you sound like any less of a smartass." Kiddi pointed out, secretly pleased at the small amount of mirth made visible in those sky blue eyes. "By the way…" Kiddi trailed off, not sure how to talk about something she shouldn't have heard in the first place. Kiddi let out a heavy breath and then continued, "What split-brows said- he's wrong and you shouldn't put any merit in it." Although, she did feel a little silly saying that when _she_ had reacted more than Kuroko had.

"You shouldn't either."

The statement surprised her and Kiddi blinked down at Kuroko before giving him a sheepish grin. "Yeah…"

"And Ginsuya-san?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Why are you wearing the boy's uniform?"

"Ah, well it's actually because-"

Kuroko seemed cool. You know, for a smart ass who scared the shit out of people daily by appearing out of nowhere like a ninja and covered up all the harsh statements with a detached politeness. Still, even if she regretted forming a companionship with him, it was too late to turn back. Kiddi was already far too interested.

* * *

The next day, Riko had the first years face the second years in a practice game. Of course she would do something like that- test their abilities and take their egos down a notch in one game. Seriously, did she have to kill all the birds with one stone? It seemed like Riko wanted to get right down to business, screw starting it off easy.

" _Ah,_ how troublesome. The sooner she gets past the basics, the sooner I'll have to start doing manager-y stuff."

As Riko prepared to throw the ball up into the air, Kiddi contemplated something. _I wonder if I should tell her about Kuroko…_ It would be the manager-y thing to do, but the more competent she acted, the more work Riko would give her. On the other hand-

" _However much you try to cover it with nice words like effort, raw talent is a fact of life."_

Kiddi clenched her teeth as she remembered Kagami's words the other day. She wasn't very smart. She knew a lot about basketball, but she didn't know how to use the information. She was chronically lazy to the point where the pattern of it was hard to break. Still...she wanted to be good at something. Call it stupid, or silly, or useless, but Kiddi wanted _something_ she could say was hers. Being a manager along a team built by her childhood friends...didn't sound like a bad thing to be good at. Kiddi quirked a smile.

As Riko sat beside her, she looked over at Kiddi in surprise. "What made you so happy?"

"I'm always happy." Kiddi grinned.

"That was different." Riko replied, a curious expression of her face.

"What if…" Kiddi paused, letting a slightly sneaky grin take over her features, "I told you I found out what type of player Kuroko is?"

Riko's eyes widened. "You know his playing style?"

Kiddi's grin turned sheepish as she raised a hand to the back of her head. "Not exactly...I only know what _type_ of player he is…"

Riko quirked a brow, but she was still intrigued. "What type of player is he?"

"A support player." Kiddi stated but continued before Riko could make any further comment. "The thing is, I think he's _only_ a support player, Ri-chan. Think about it," Kiddi gestured to the court where Kuroko was struggling to keep up with the game, "his stats are low, but so is his presence. If he's only support, then his lack of presence on the court makes it easier for him to pass and-"

"I see…" Riko interrupted, but Kiddi called it an accomplishment when the coach's eyes scanned over Kuroko, her eyes widening. "You're right, I hadn't even noticed he was in." Rather than looking troubled, Riko looked excited. She turned to Kiddi with a smirk, "Let's see if you're right."

As the game went on, Kagami was combatting the seniors, his height and dunks all rather impressive. Still, it was _only_ Kagami doing the work. The other first years were just about average, and Kuroko was obviously waiting to show his true colors. _Sneaky little smartass…_ Riko looked over to her and gave her a wink before blowing lightly on her pink whistle. Kiddi could tell it was a signal, not only from the wink, but from the way Hyuuga's mouth lifted in a smirk.

The signal changed the flow of the game completely as Izuki and Koganei _both_ guarded Kagami, leaving Hyuuga, Tsuchida, and Mitobe free and clear to dominate the court. It wasn't long before the second years doubled the first years' score with Kagami trapped.

Of course, that was when the first years- sans Kagami and Kuroko- started to feel hopeless. Kagami being Kagami wouldn't accept it and grabbed the messy brown-haired one- Furihata Koki, if Kiddi was remembering right- by the collar of his jersey. Kiddi didn't even have to hear their words to know that all of this was going down, they were just so expressive- other than Kuroko, of course. The surprise came when Kuroko came up behind Kagami and...kneed Kagami in the back of his, well, knees.

Kiddi's hands flew up to her mouth, but she couldn't smother her giggle. _Oh my Kami, I love that smartass ninja…_

At that point, it looked like the second years were just realizing his presence and Riko looked so thrilled with the development it was scary.

With three minutes left, Kuroko finally looked serious. It shouldn't have been that big a change in appearance with how expressionless he was, but...Kiddi could see it. When Kuroko was acting like he couldn't do anything- or when he was covering up for being a smartass- his eyes were so aimless, but when he was serious...there was no _physical_ change but the determination was clear to her.

"Go, Kuroko."

Riko looked briefly over to her before turning her eyes back to the game, making sure not to take her eyes off of the bluenette.

The second the ball was passed to Kuroko, he redirected it. It flew over the heads of the other players to Furihata, who was right by the basket. He shoots, he scores, Kiddi relishes in the way Hyuuga gapes in confusion as he tries to figure out what the _hell_ just happened. The game continues in similar fashion.

At the very end, Kiddi's surprised when it seems like Kuroko is about to make the shot...only for it to bounce off the rim. Kagami's declaration of, "That's why I hate the weak!" can be heard all the way over to her seat on the bench. Kuroko's smile is harder to catch, but Kiddi revels in it.

Riko beams over at her at the end of the game. "You were right...misdirection. He's directing his opponents attention elsewhere and diminishing his presence even more so that he is basically unnoticeable, which allowing his to jump in and change the ball's course without being detected. He's the Generation of Miracles' phantom sixth man!" Riko sounded absolutely thrilled at the last bit.

"I'm...not sure I got all that." Kiddi admitted. "Still, I was right...right?"

"Yes!" Riko stated, a huge grin on her face. "See, you're a great person to be manager!"

"I'm...not sure about that." Kiddi admitted. "I don't quite get things like you do. I don't just _know_. All I can do is take my knowledge and apply it to people's words and actions. It's nothing fancy." Kiddi smiled back over at her. "I think I'd like to try being team manager, though."

"Great!" Riko pulled out an application on a clipboard and a pen, handing both over to Kiddi. "Just fill this out."

"You mean…" Kiddi gaped. _I never…_

"You forgot to fill out the form, you idiot." Riko grinned over at her knowingly.

 _I forgot to fill out the form. I didn't even have to_ _ **come**_ _to practice, I could have…_ Kiddi hastily filled out the form and shoved it back to Riko, a small scowl on her face, "I'm actually pissed."

Riko only laughed at her expense as Kiddi storms off, equal parts resigned and excited for her new role as manager.

As Kiddi disappears out of the gym, Hyuuga takes a seat beside Riko.

"I thought it was going to take a lot more to get her to take the initiative." Riko admits to him.

Hyuuga raised a brow at her as he taps his glasses to rest properly on his face. "You call showing up without being dragged _initiative_?"

Riko scoffs. "I wouldn't expect that even if she _was_ serious, Hyuuga-kun. I'm fully prepared to drag her from her class to here every day, today was just a lucky break."

Hyuuga looked at her in an odd mixture exasperation and curiosity. "What was it, then?"

"She found Kuroko out." Riko revealed, bringing a finger up and winking. Hyuuga looked absolutely baffled until Riko added, "Well, more or less. Still, she decided to tell me instead of hiding it. If that isn't acceptance, I don't know what is!"

"Maybe," Hyuuga sighed, "but I feel like a whole new dictionary should be written just for her."

"I figured the Ginsuya Kiddi language out years ago," Riko waved him off, "I'm basing this off of that."

"She's more trouble than she's worth." Hyuuga huffed.

"I don't see you ditching her either, though, Hyuuga-kun!"

He didn't deny the truth of the statement, but he did change the subject, "Are you really going to let the first years continue thinking she's a boy?"

"Of course!"

"That figures."

* * *

"Ginsuya-san."

Kiddi never even knew she could jump that high before, but Kuroko was proving to provide all kinds of new experiences.

"Kami, Kuroko! Couldn't you at least announce yourself?" Kiddi reprimanded as she placed a hand over her heart, trying not to faint from the shock.

"I'm certain you would have reacted much the same way if I did." Kuroko reasoned.

"...Touche. So, what did you want from me? I have a bus to catch."

"Oh." Kuroko blinked. "I apologize, I was going to ask you to come eat with me."

Kiddi blinked at him in bafflement. "...Alright, screw the bus. Where to, Kuroko-kun?"

And so, that was how she ended up sitting beside Kuroko in a booth at Maji Burger. While he sipped on a vanilla milkshake, Kiddi snacked on some fries and an iced tea- no sugar. Two seconds later, a large figure with dark red hair stepped into the restaurant. Kuroko and Kiddi both watched him as he went to get his food- although Kuroko with much more subtlety- and then ordered-

"Who can even eat that many burgers?" Kiddi questioned.

Kagami scanned the area briefly before catching sight of her and, in an odd twist, walking over to sit in front of her. Kiddi eyed him in surprise as he set his humongous stack of burgers down and pinned her with an intense red gaze.

"I have some things to ask you." He stated.

"Wha-"

"Hello, Kagami-san."

Kagami's hair seemed to stand straight up for a moment as he jumped, slamming his back into the booth seat he was in. "When did you get here!?"

"I came here with Ginsuya-san." Kuroko explained.

"Yeah." Kiddi agreed. "I'm actually slightly surprised you missed him, since you looked right over at us before you sat down." Not that she was really one to talk but oh, well. More importantly… "Why did you want to talk to _me_?" Kiddi questioned incredulously.

From their very first encounter, Kagami had been blatantly dismissive of her. Even at the basketball court, after she witnessed the whole scene between him and Kuroko, he couldn't have cared less. They were in the same class, but he didn't talk to her once or even glance in her direction. What made him so suddenly curious?

It seemed like even Kuroko was confused with Kagami's sudden interest. His face was blank, but his eyes questioned the situation. _All in the eyes, how is it even possible that I understand him?_ Kiddi just concluded that she hung out with so many weird people she was used to them each having their own entire languages.

"How are you so close with the second years?" Kagami questioned and Kiddi deflated in response.

 _That's it?_ _ **That's**_ _what got him so curious?_ "Ri-chan- Aida Riko-" She corrected at Kagami's confusion, "her dad trained mine, so we're childhood friends. Same for Hyuuga...sort of. Of course, Ri-chan dragged me to all of their games, so I got to know the others, too." Kiddi gave him an unimpressed look, still annoyed that the only reason he had finally acknowledged her was for her affiliation with the second years. _I'm important too, dammit!_ "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Kagami stated and then raised a finger to point at her and then at Kuroko with a weirded-out expression. "How do you two eat so little?"

Kiddi gaped at him. "Way to make a dramatic show over nothing." Then, she looked down at her fries. "And I'm not into sports like you, so I don't need that much to eat."

Kiddi barely caught the burger that was flung at her head. Of course, by barely caught she meant that it slipped from her grip a couple times before she just let it fall onto the table next to her fries. _What the hell?!_

"You have shitty reflexes." Kagami deadpanned and Kiddi twitched. _You could have been more sensitive about it!_ "And you," he turned his gaze to Kuroko and flung a burger to him as well, the difference being that Kuroko actually caught it, "I hate the weak, but after today you've earned one of those."

Kiddi looked at Kagami in awe as she watched the interaction- Kagami had even gifted Kuroko a sort-of smile. A grin found its way to her lips and she felt her heart warm slightly. _Maybe he's nice after all._ Kagami glanced at her and gave her a look of disgust.

"Wipe that shitty expression off your face."

"Rude!" Kiddi huffed.

* * *

"So, tell me about the Generation of Miracles." Kagami spoke up as they walked. "If I played them now, how would I do?"

 _This feels kind of like a bonding moment for the two of them._ Kiddi let herself fall back a bit, keeping about a five foot gap between herself and the two players. _I feel a little like I'm intruding._ Kuroko briefly glanced back at her, his expression conveying that he didn't mind. _Well, I already eavesdropped on their moment in the park, anyway…_ She still kept her distance as she observed. At least this time she was invited so she didn't have to hide behind a bush.

"You would be destroyed instantly." Was Kuroko's blunt reply to Kagami's inquiry.

 _Seriously? They're that strong?_ Kiddi now felt exasperated at her own cluelessness, letting her palm come up to drag over her face. _Crap. No wonder Ri-chan and everyone else was pissed I didn't know._

Kiddi snapped out of her self-reprimanding to listen to Kuroko as he spoke up again, "The five prodigies have each gone on to their own schools. Of those schools, one of them will stand at the top."

 _You aren't going to count yourself out, are you Kuroko?_

Kiddi jerked out of that brief thought when Kagami chuckled. _That's kind of creepy. Maybe stick to just being rude and arrogant, split-brows._ Still, Kiddi was glad that Kagami seemed to have found something to quell that shitty bored attitude. To think that he said basketball was the same everywhere only a day prior.

"I've decided." Kagami declared, stopping abruptly. It was a good thing Kiddi left a few feet between them, or else she might have bumped into him. "I'll defeat them and become Japan's best player."

Meanwhile, Kuroko merely sipped on his vanilla milkshake as he looked off to the side at Kagami with a blank expression. "I don't think that's possible."

 _Really, Kuroko? Split-brows was trying to express his passion there and you ruined it._

Ignoring Kagami's enraged shout, Kuroko merely continued in his depreciation of Kagami's resolve. "If you have hidden talent, I wouldn't know. But, from what I see right now, you wouldn't reach their feet."

"Ironic, since you're so tall." Kiddi added and Kagami shot her an irritated glare while Kuroko's smile twitched the briefest bit on his straw as he sipped his milkshake. _Success!_

"You can't do it alone." Kuroko stated as he jumped off the crosswalk and turned to face Kagami. _Whoa, when did we cross the street? I was way too absorbed in this conversation._ "That's why I've decided." Kiddi looked at Kuroko's determined gaze before he slanted it down to look at the sidewalk. "I'm a shadow." Kuroko looked up and Kiddi felt her heart beat faster in anticipation. "But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow, and the more it accentuates the brightness of the light. I will be the shadow to your light and make you the best player in Japan."

Kiddi let a bright grin stretch across her face while Kagami let out a small noise of surprise before huffing out a small chuckle with a pleased grin. "Do whatever you want."

"I'll do my best."

Kiddi watched the scene for a moment longer before letting her grin slip into something deeper. _I'll do my best, too._ She met Kuroko's blue gaze with her light grey ones- near silver as it reflected the streetlights in the darkness. Kiddi grinned even wider and gave him a thumbs up. _We'll all do our best!_

* * *

 **I actually love writing Kuroko, so I'm really excited for his and Kiddi's friendship to progress. However, I don't want them to become close unnaturally fast, so neither will be pouring their hearts out to each other anytime soon.** **Kagami is _surprisingly_ fun to write. I'm glad I made Kiddi be mistaken for a boy, because I can't quite imagine the same dynamic if Kagami knew the truth. Actually, I'm liking her dynamic with everyone in Seirin. **

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3 To Skip or Not to Skip?

**Chapter 3- To Skip or Not to Skip?**

Kiddi rolled over in bed lazily and spared a glance at her alarm clock. In large, _annoying_ red numbers it read 7:30. Kiddi sighed and rolled back over onto her back, bringing her pillow up to cover her face.

For the first time she could remember, she had woken up early.

"What the heck is up with me?"

Realistically, she knew the reason. _This manager thing is going to be the death of me, I swear._ Why did it have to end up being so interesting?

 _No._

Kiddi's eyes widened beneath her pillow as she realized something. _It wasn't just now. Even before I decided to become manager, and even before Kuroko and Kagami…_ She was devoted to the team. After all, it was a team filled with people who had become special to her, playing a sport she actually _liked_.

Calmly, Kiddi brought her hands up to her pillow, pressed it to her face...and screamed.

It didn't turn out nearly as muffled as she thought it did and two seconds later, the door was flung open by Lori, who had a terrified expression on his face.

"What?! Nee-san, what happened? I swear whoever did it, I'll make them _pay_!"

Kiddi moved her pillow off of her face and sat up, giving her brother a flat look. "You're too intense for a junior high school student, Lori."

Lori looked her over, but saw nothing physically wrong and nothing in her expression to tell him something was emotionally wrong. "...So, you're fine?"

"I'm fine."

"Oh." Lori blinked his dark black eyes- the biggest difference in their features, though there weren't many others. "That's good, but Nee-chan," Lori looked at her seriously, "if anyone in your high school bothers you, I'll make them pay!"

Breifly, Kiddi entertained the idea of sicking her little brother on the basketball team, if only for the hilarity that would ensue. That idea was quickly discarded when she realized how poorly Hyuuga and Riko would react. Plus, Kiddi didn't want to risk her brother facing eithers wrath if there was even a chance they would take it out on him. Still, the image of her adorable brother trying to massacre the basketball team did bring up an amusing image and Kiddi smiled at him.

"Got it, thanks Lori."

Finally, Lori settled down into his normal mood, pointing at her alarm clock with a raised brow. "You realize what time it is, right? The fact that you're up this early makes me want to check the sky for pigs."

"And we're back to annoying little brother mode." Kiddi deadpanned. "Get out, you brat."

Lori complied, leaving Kiddi to get out of bed- no chance of returning to slumber after that fiasco. She groaned as she raised her arms up, a few satisfying cracks filling the silence. Then, she languidly walked herself over to her dresser before pausing.

Kiddi looked at her dresser once more before turning to her nightstand and picking up her magic 8 ball with a grin. _Just because I'm a manager, doesn't mean I'll stop giving Ri-chan and Hyuuga hell._

"So, to skip school or not to skip school?" Looking down at the, 'don't count on it', Kiddi furrowed her brows. "What exactly is that supposed to-"

A buzz from her phone interrupted her and Kiddi grabbed it, looking on the screen to see one new text message.

 _From: Ri-chan_

 _Don't count on skipping, I'm coming to get you at 8:15._

"...So that's what it means." Kiddi sighed resignedly before going back over to her dresser and pulling out her uniform, taking it to the bathroom so she could get ready.

* * *

"Ugh." Kiddi groaned as she planted her face on the desk while Riko only sipped on her milk contentedly. "I can't believe you made me go through all of that. I don't want to see another page of stats _ever_ again."

Riko apparently thought that a good use of Kiddi's lunch time was to have the younger girl help her evaluate basketball statistics...on a game. Not only did that method of evaluation not work for her, but to see Riko analytically ogle over fictional stats was weird. It was bad enough to see her do it with the team stats, at least _those_ Kiddi could understand.

"So," Riko put her game away for the moment in favor of looking observing Kiddi, "did you learn anything?"

" _No._ " Kiddi stated bluntly, shifting her head to the side so she could look up at Riko from underneath messy bangs. "I don't learn that way."

"Tell me again." Riko commanded.

They'd had this conversation a few times since yesterday, and Riko had already tried a few different methods to observe Kiddi's talent. The real problem was that even _Kiddi_ didn't entirely get how to use it as a skill, so Riko had just been throwing out the ways she prepared for a game and seeing if Kiddi could gain any knowledge from it.

Kiddi sighed and blandly repeated, "All I can do is take my knowledge and apply it to people's words and actions."

Riko's eyes narrowed in thought. "Alright." She drawled. "Define knowledge for me."

Kiddi gave her a deadpan look and drawled back, "Facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education." When Riko raised a fist, Kiddi straightened and put her hands up in defense. "Okay! Okay! I won't be able to explain if you give me brain damage!"

Riko lowered her fist and Kiddi sighed in relief, setting her head onto her palm and looking over at the older girl, who held a look of anticipation. Kiddi took in a breath and replied- seriously this time, "I know basketball. Not so much as you, but I know how it works and more-or-less what type of players and playing styles are common." Riko nodded in comprehension and Kiddi continued, "I also know your team through and through, although it's a bit different withou- well, I know each player on the team well enough. Position, playing style, player type, special abilities, even a few quirks they've acquired in accordance with those other things."

Riko nodded understandingly, a bit of tension in her gaze fading. "Explain how that connects to words."

Kiddi sighed irritably, but complied at the sharp glare shot at her. "Words are only half of the puzzle, but what people say can usually give you a pretty good idea of who they are. With Kuroko, I mostly used his lack of brazenness and interest in Kagami's strength to weed out the possibility that he was merely arrogant. On the other hand...I guess I'll use split-brows as the example, this time. Anyway, he's on the edge of overconfident, but if you look close enough it's easy to tell he only acts that way because he had some skill to back it up. Then there's his slightly rude and thoughtless speech, which is parallel to his reckless style of playing."

"So not just speech...but speech patterns." Riko mumbled and Kiddi sweatdropped. She was almost off in her own world a that point. "...Actions…" She murmured, barely audible.

"I'll make this easy and talk about Izuki's eye-thing. He has this habit of looking over a room multiple times, as if to almost create a blueprint for his mind."

Riko remained unresponsive for a moment as she eyed her desk before slowly looking up and shooting Kiddi a grin. "Now, care to explain how this all connects?"

Kiddi blinked. "Connects with what?"

Riko's eye twitched and her grin turned slightly more threatening, but she managed to keep her cool. "Knowledge. Words. Actions."

"Oh." Kiddi blinked, bringing a hand up to the back of her head and grinning sheepishly. "Right, sorry." Kiddi's grin turned up a bit more with a confidence she hadn't felt in...well, ever really. "The Kuroko example is obvious. Without the knowledge of his weak form, stamina, and grasp of even the basics I wouldn't have wondered about his style. Also, without knowledge of his presence I wouldn't have been able to make the assumption about its connection to his playing style. For Kagami it's more about _gaining_ knowledge. Now that I know how a personality of his type takes up presence on the court, I might be able to draw similar inferences in the future. Same with Izuki if we happen to encounter something similar." Kiddi sucked in a breath and sighed, letting her head fall to her desk once again. "Ah~, I'm exhausted. No one should ever have to think that much…"

Riko huffed out a laugh, "And here I was about to tell you how smart that all sounded."

"I agree, Aida-san. Ginsuya-san did sound very smart for a moment."

Both girls jumped out of their skin, Riko spitting out a gulp of milk she had only just taken and Kiddi shooting up into sitting position with so much force it knocked her chair back and said girl landed on the ground along with it.

"Shit, Kuroko!" Kiddi yelped, scrambling to get up and stand in front of the impassive boy. "...and what the hell do you mean by 'for a moment'?"

"I apologize for scaring you, Ginsuya-san." Kuroko merely said as he picked up her chair and set it back up.

"Bull...and thanks." Kiddi thanked and sat back down before her brows furrowed. "Wait...you didn't answer my question."

Kuroko turned to Riko, "Coach, I'd like an official club membership form."

" _Smartass ninja."_ Kiddi pouted.

"Alright. Here." Riko pulled a membership form out of her desk and handed it to Kuroko. Once it was in said bluenette's hands, the coach smirked slyly. "But I'll only accept it on Monday at 8:40 on the roof."

Kuroko blinked, but gave a small nod before turning and disappearing into the hallway. Both girls watched him go with blank expressions.

"He nearly gave me a heart attack." Kiddi sighed.

"I almost died by choking on milk." Riko also sighed.

"We need to do something." Kiddo concluded seriously.

"How?" Riko questioned.

"Treat him like a cat and put a bell on him."

"That's a bit-"

"Do you want 'died by choking on milk' to be on your epithet?"

"..."

"Thought so."

it didn't even take five minutes following that conversation for Kagami to burst into the classroom, drawing much the same reaction from Riko aside from the fact that he got a face full of milk. _Ew._ Kiddi gave him props for merely wiping it off. Meanwhile, she had been staring over in the direction of the door, anyway, unlike Riko- who had still been enjoying her odd game- so the redhead didn't come as a surprise.

* * *

"Can I skip _today_?" Kiddi asked the black ball in her hand desperately, not exactly looking forward to Riko's little surprise. Once again, she was greeted by the foreboding, 'Don't count on it'. Kiddi brought her hand up to her head to bury in her already messy hair. "Man, what the hell?"

"Riko-chan's here to pick you up today!" Her dad yelled.

Kiddi blanched, looking down at her magic 8 ball in surprise and horror. And suddenly it all makes sense...

"Why?" Kiddi deadpanned the second she saw Riko's beaming face. "Couldn't you have just threatened me via text, again?"

"Nonsense!" Riko continued to beam, making Kiddi slightly nervous. The younger girl began to shuffle her feet as the ray-of-sunshine-and-death smile didn't waver on Riko's face. "We have to talk more about your ability."

"I wouldn't call it an ability…" Kiddi mumbled.

"Rough estimation of a talent, then!"

"Can I abbreviate it to RET?"

"That's an acronym, Kiddi."

"Ah! Who cares?! What's the difference?"

"It's actually classified as more of a subsection of acronyms-"

"Nevermind, I don't care!"

Riko took that moment to practically _drag_ Kiddi out of her house and ot the bus stop as she chattered on about the technicalities of Kiddi's RET in words that Kiddi could barely understand. Safe to say, it was singularly unhelpful.

Once they were on the bus, Kiddi sighed irritably. "Riko, I really can't understand you when you use words like that."

"I'm saying that you need to study players on a more personal level for your RET to work." Riko clarified with a happy smile.

"...That sounds vaguely dirty."

Kiddi's remark was met with a sharp _whack_ over the head and Riko huffed. "I mean that the things you're talking about can hardly be done by interpreting data."

Riko shuffled through her bags for something. A moment later, she pulled out a few tapes and held them out to Kiddi with a smirk. Kiddi looked at the tapes and then looked back up to Riko blankly.

"Huh?"

Riko rolled her eyes and shoved the tapes into Kiddi's hands- said girl struggling not to drop them all. "Getting you close enough to teams to observe their words and actions might be difficult if we don't already have a match, but if you watch the tapes and write down your conclusions I may be able to find a more practical application for your RET."

Kiddi's lips twitched. "Would 'really expected technical terms' in text talk as RETT be confusing now that we're calling my thing RET?"

Kiddi was sure the only reason she wasn't punched was because she was still holding the tapes. Still, Riko's annoyed, "Off point!" was enough to make Kiddi steer back on track.

"All right, I'll try to get to them this week."

"Fine, I expect them by tomorrow."

"...Say what?"

* * *

After an hour of watching through tapes, Kiddi had to admit that Riko was onto something.

Watching recorded matches was completely different from interpreting stats- most obviously because it actually made _sense_ to her. She wasn't seeing numbers on a page or words that essentially meant nothing to her, she was watching an actual match. Sure, she was only watching it from one angle- both literally and figuratively- but it was a thousand times better than looking at basketball from an angle she couldn't even understand. She could see them play and interact on court- who made the strategies, who played what position, individual playing styles, and strengths and weaknesses became clearer the more she watched. Then, she could watch another tape and apply what she'd seen before, going as far as to even try and predict which player played which positions if it wasn't abundantly obvious and what kind of player they were based on similar patterns.

Kiddi almost felt smart.

Of course, there was one gap in the experience that became abundantly clear around the third or fourth tape. While personalities could be projected to _some_ degree, it was nothing like observing them in person. Also, she couldn't hear anything they said and her interpretations tended to rely a lot on what subtextual and subconscious clues people slipped into their words, along with the few upfront implications more arrogant archetypes tended to give her.

At the same time, Kiddi herself was just learning how to use her new 'ability'. Sure, she had always subconsciously analyzed, maybe even letting a few comments slip out to Riko, Kiyoshi, or even Hyuuga, but she didn't consider what she was doing and so she had no idea the potential that was there, let alone how to fully utilize it. While she respected Riko's decision to try and exercise and hone her ability, Kiddi was afraid the result would be a let down. The technicalities of her RET and the circumstances that needed to occur for her to use it already made it seem like more trouble than it was worth.

Maybe Riko saw something she didn't?

Kiddi decided to relay all of this to Lori (who really just wished his sister would stop talking so he could finish his homework) and by the end of it he gave her a deadpan stare. "What do you want me to say?"

Kiddi pouted at her little brother, throwing her arms up dramatically. "I need you to critique me! Am I going wrong somewhere in my thought process? Maybe my ability just isn't worth it…"

"Alright." Lori stated firmly. "You're winey and your thought process runs in loops. I can't tell if your too _lazy_ to move past such a closed-minded thought process, just indecisive, or too insecure about your own abilities. Either way, you're incredibly annoying, get out of my room." Kiddi gaped at her younger brother and he just raised a brow. "There. Do you feel sufficiently criticized, yet?"

"You're so mean!"

* * *

"Ho ho ho." Riko made a horrible deep laughter sound as she stood up on the roof, legs spread out and arms crossed in a challenging stance. "I've been waiting for you." Riko smirked.

Kiddi's facepalm was completely justifiable and she was sure even Hyuuga would agree, Kagami definitely seemed to if his "Are you stupid?" was any indication. Slightly funnier was Kuroko's, "Is this a duel?" By slightly, Kiddi meant that she burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"Don't giggle like that!" Kagami shouted at her and turned to face her with a disturbed look. "You sound like a freakin' girl!"

"Well-"

"Wait." Kagami interrupted her, looking back to the front where Riko stood. "I forgot all about it, but Monday…" Everyone seemed to catch onto what he was saying even before he shouted, "THE MORNING ASSEMBLY IS IN FIVE MINUTES!"

"Oh?" Kiddi questioned and then yawned. "That's good, then. I wasn't really looking forward to standing at attention for that."

"Not so fast!" Riko declared, pointing at Kiddi, who went stiff. "I'm not letting you off the hook, either!"

"...Seriously? You mean _I_ have to do it?"

The first years watched the interaction, completely lost. What were they even talking about? If they didn't get to the assembly soon they'd be in trouble!

"...What are you talking about?" Furihata questioned nervously.

"I made a promise to the captain last year." Riko stated, turning from pointing at Kiddi to pointing at the rest of the first years.

"Please don't start monologuing, Ri-chan."

She was ignored as Riko continued her speech, "I promised to focus solely on pushing this team for victory in the national championship. If you don't think you're ready for that, you can find another club to join!"

Kagami looked baffled at her statement, like the answer should have already been obvious. "What? Of course I'm-"

"I know you're strong." Riko assured. "What I need you to have is something even more important. No matter how hard you practice, 'someday' and 'maybe' aren't good enough."

Kiddi's eyes widened briefly. _Focus solely on the nationals, shooting for the top. This is for Kiyoshi, isn't it?_

Kiddi snapped her attention back to Riko as she continued, "I need to know you have ambitious goals and the will to accomplish them." Suddenly, Riko twisted sideways and threw her hand out to the side, towards the railing. The other students stood below in the courtyard, oblivious to the turmoil above. _Well, we aren't_ _ **really**_ _supposed to be up here in the first place._ With a wide grin, Riko shouted, "State your year, class, and name. Announce your goals here and now!" Turning forward again, Riko placed her hands on her hips, grin stuck firmly in place on her lips. "Fail to achieve them and you'll have to come back up here, strip naked, and confess your feelings to the one you love."

Kagami looked gobsmacked, Kiddi facepalmed and let out a groan, Kuroko remained blank-faced, and the other first years all looked absolutely traumatized. Riko smirked at her, winking.

"Don't think you're exempt, either, Ginsuya Kiddi!"

"He'd better not be if I have to do this shit!" Kagami growled.

"Even the second years had to do it last year." Riko 'assured' with a grin.

"What?" Furihata questioned despairingly. "No one told me about this."

"I heard about it when they recruited me." Fukuda admitted, but his expression was still incredulous.

"But I didn't think they'd actually…" Kawahara tailed off helplessly.

"When it comes to this team," Kiddi advised solemnly, "just assume all crazy tales and rumors are true. It's better for your health."

"Like I said before," Riko drew their attention back to her, "I'm looking for something concrete and reasonably ambitious. You'll have to do better than 'play my first game' or 'do my best'."

"Heh." Kagami smirked. "This'll be ea-"

"Hold it!" Kiddi exclaimed- cutting off Kagami- beginning to sweat nervously. "What the hell am I supposed to say?! I'm only the manager!"

Riko turned her head to her and smirked threateningly, "You'll think of _something_ , I'm sure."

That was the first time the first years had ever heard Kiddi whimper. Furihata, Fukuda, and Kawahara sweatdropped. Kuroko blinked at her blandly. Kagami put his hand on her head and shoved it down roughly.

" _Who do you think you're interrupting?_ " Kagami hissed.

Kiddi winced. "Hey, I don't need abuse from you too, split-brows."

A vein popped on Kagami's forehead and he shoved Kiddi's head even more roughly, eliciting a pained hiss from the brunette. "Yowch! That's painful! Painful!"

"Kagami-san." Kuroko came up behind Kagami and...jabbed him in the side.

Kagami yelped, backing off of Kiddi immediately and turning around to face the much shorter bluenette. "What the hell?!"

"Ginsuya-san is about to faint."

Indeed, Kiddi's eyes appeared to be spinning as she (or _he_ in Kagami's eyes) stumbled.

"Oi!" Kagami shouted in actual concern, putting his hands on the grey-eyed girl's shoulders to steady her. "Don't die!"

"Everything's spinning…"

"How can you be this weak?!" Kagami demanded with obvious panic.

"I think you gave me brain damage."

In an odd turn of events, Kuroko came over to Kiddi and put a hand on her back, more effectively steadying her. "I think you should sit down, Ginsuya-san."

"That seems almost…" Furihata trailed off nervously.

"...Gentlemanly." Fukuda finished.

"Kiddi's a boy, though." Kawahara reminded. "Even if he's rather weak and girly-looking…"

"Huh." They chorused.

"ENOUGH WITH THAT!" Riko interrupted, looking thoroughly annoyed. "State your goals! _Now!"_

"Right." Kagami let go of Kiddi's shoulders- Kuroko immediately helped sit her down- in favor of grinning at the coach. "This isn't even a test." He walked over to the railing and jumped right onto it, standing surprisingly balanced over the rail.

"Am I hallucinating," Kiddi questioned as she rubbed at her head, "Or did split-brows just hop _onto_ the railing."

"You're not hallucinating, Ginsuya-san." Kuroko assured as he crouched beside her.

"Oh." Kiddi acknowledged. "That idiot."

"Hai." Kuroko agreed.

"CLASS 1-B, NUMBER 5, KAGAMI TAIGA!" Kagami announced, all the students below turning up to the spectacle in astonishment. "I will defeat the Generation of Miracles, and become the best in Japan!"

"Ambitious." Kiddi snorted, but she had to look to the side to hide a small smile.

"You're smiling, Ginsuya-san."

"Shut it, Kuroko!" She huffed, slightly mortified when a small blush covered her cheeks and she had to bury her face in her knees. At least her head didn't hurt anymore.

"Who's next?" Riko questioned happily. "If you don't hurry up you'll be caught by the teachers~!"

"Excuse me?" Furihata raised his hand. "Can I say I want a girlfriend?"

Kiddi spoke before Riko could with a blunt, "Those really aren't the ambitions she'd talking about."

"I've got one." Kawahara volunteered, walking up to the railing- thankfully not hopping on top of it like baka Kagami, because Kiddi honestly didn't want anyone to kill themselves during this process, however tempting it may be… "Class 1-A, Kawahara Koichi from Chuo-ku, Tokyo. I was a sickly child-" _I feel you, man._ Kiddi thought sympathetically, but that feeling died down about three lines into Kawahara's monologue.

It took a whole five minutes of non-stop talking before Riko became fed-up and delivered a high kick to the first year's head. "Next!" She commanded with a look that said she'd lost the little amount of patience she had to begin with, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Furihata- bless his brave and oblivious soul- raised his hand again and said, "Um, I want a girlfriend."

"No!"

So, Fukuda ended up being next.

"Class 1-D, Fukuda Hiroshi!" He announced. "I like helping others, so when I heard an upperclassman asking for help, I immediately offered my assistance-"

Kiddi planted her face into her knees in exasperation. _Izu-senpai…_

"Class 1-D, Furihata Koki. This girl I like said she'd go out with me if I became the best at something, so I joined the basketball team to be number one."

 _That's so mean._ Kiddi sighed. _If you're going to let a guy down, don't just lead him on._ Ah, well, as long as Furihata seemed happy it was alright, she guessed.

"If that's not good enough, It's fine if I can't join the team." Furihata stated to Riko.

"I guess I'm moved." The girl smirked.

 _Ah, Ri-chan, you always were a little bit of a romantic._

"Now," That tone sounded slightly dangerous, especially coming from Riko, "I'm interested to see what you've some up with now that you're feeling better." _Damn._

"Seriously?"

"Hai."

Kiddi sighed, standing up with only a slight wobble. "Alright, I guess I can just think up something on the spot." Kiddi walked up to the railings- forget any of that dramatic stuff, she was just going to stand like a _normal_ person. "Class 1-B, er...Manager, Ginsuya Kiddi!" Kiddi looked down at everyone and dropped her head to the rail for a moment, slightly overwhelmed. _Just imagine everyone in their underwear._ Kiddi made a strangled sound as she remembered her senpais were part of the crowd. _Yeah, let's not._ Kiddi raised her head with a sigh and opened her mouth to continue, when-

"Hey!" A teacher walked onto the roof, throwing open the doors with obvious irritation. "The basketball club, again?!"

"Crap, and we were almost finished." Riko cursed.

"You're forgetting Kuroko." Kiddi stated, looking over to said male and then pausing. "...Why the hell do you have a megaphone?"

"I have trouble speaking loudly."

"Where did you get it?"

"I borrowed it from the gym." Kuroko blinked innocently.

"You stole it." Kiddi accused.

"..."

Then they were all forced to sit in seiza as they were scolded by the teacher. Riko's pout was almost comical, while Kiddi just closed her eyes.

"-ya!"

 _Be quiet, I'm trying to sleep while sitting upright._

"-suya!"

 _Is that my name?_

"Ginsuya!"

Kiddi snapped out of her daze and looked up at the teacher. She looked back and noticed she was alone on the roof aside from said teacher. She looked up as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. _They just_ _ **left**_ _me here?!_

"Don't fall asleep while someone is lecturing!" He lectured. "And while you're up here, falling asleep in class is unacceptable! I don't care if you're sitting completely straight, sleeping is still sleeping and disrespectful! Also, you need to-"

 _Ugh._

* * *

 _From: Kuroko-kun_

 _Ginsuya-san, do you ever wonder why I didn't follow the other Generation of Miracles?_

Kiddi stared at the message with a slightly troubled expression as she put away the mop she had been using. (The stupid teacher had her clean the auditorium for her part in the stunt on the roof, falling asleep during his lecturing, _and_ all the times she'd fallen asleep in class. How was that fair when she had never been caught? Not getting caught for sleeping or dozing in class was a special skill that should be acknowledged and admired, not something to be punished for!) It wasn't like Kuroko to ask her something like that. Also, she had been expecting her to be the first one to text _him_ , considering she had asked for his number and then basically _forced_ hers onto him.

She contemplated his question seriously for a moment.

To be honest, Kiddi's knowledge of the Generation of Miracles was still abysmal. It could honestly be broken down to about three things: they were a middle school basketball team, Kuroko was a part of them, and they were _really_ strong. As for Kuroko's going to Seiren rather than a more sports-oriented school...She'd never thought about it.

Maybe that made her an idiot, she'd been called one so many times it became more of a fact than an insult, anyhow. What she did know was that Kuroko seemed rather perturbed when his former teammates were brought up. She could guess they had a falling out. Based on his first interactions with Kagami, she could assume it was about basketball. Based on the fact he went to none of their schools, she could also infer he wanted a chance to face them all. She was still missing the specific _what_ (did they fall out over) and _why_ (did he want to face them in competition).

Kiddi looked back down at her phone. Kuroko was already considered a friend to her, although she didn't know if it was entirely mutual, since she had always failed spectacularly at telling when friendships were official. So, Kiddi wanted to know the main source of his troubles. _Alright._

* * *

 _From: Ginsuya-san_

 _Was it split brows that made you think about this? I'm on my way to Maji burger now, so hold off on that explanation if you haven't already delivered it._

Kuroko blinked down at the message he received. He...hadn't expected that.

He had expected a simply message in reply. A 'yes', 'no', or a 'mind telling me'. Even no response at all- whether out of distraction or confusion- would have made more sense to him. This...interest? Curiosity? Investment? Whatever it was that made the girl decide to seek him out for an in-person explanation, he hadn't expected it. Although, maybe on some level he was hoping for it.

He didn't, however, expect Kiddi to show up in Maji Burger a few minutes later panting for breath, hunched over with her hands on her knees.

Her choppy, chin-length hair was more out of place than usual- if it wasn't night, Kuroko might have expected a bird to pop out of it, the misunderstanding would be justified. Light grey eyes fluttered with fatigue as the tall girl rose shakily, stumbling a bit as she caught sight of Kagami's red hair and then trailed her eyes past him to Kuroko. She walked unsteadily over to the booth they occupied and sat down gracelessly next to Kuroko with a _thud._

"Ran here...from school...tired...as shit." Kiddi gasped out in between ragged breaths. "Please," Kiddi sucked in a deep breath, "continue."

Kagami huffed at her and she glared up at him though her bangs. "No wonder you're a manager instead of a player. " Kagami commented with a condescending grin. "Skinny, no muscle, shit reflexes, even worse stamina. You have no affinity for sports."

Kuroko nodded in agreement, although he had to hide a small smile behind a sip of his milkshake. "The school is less than a mile away, Ginsuya-san. Your lack of athletic inclination is surprising considering your height."

"He isn't even that tall." Kagami stated confusedly.

"Stop picking on me, Kaga-meanie and Kuro-smartass." Kiddi whined, but her use of nicknames drew a snort from Kagami and a small amused twitch from Kuroko.

"I do agree with the wimp, though. ("Wimp?!") I think you were about to give us an explanation." Kagami stared pointedly at Kuroko, who set down his milkshake.

"Hai, I do believe I owe it to Kagami-san for waiting and to Ginsuya-san for running here." Kuroko stated and the other two first years looked on at him in anticipation. Kuroko had a serious aura as he spoke. "My school had one core principle: Winning is everything. Instead of focusing on working together, we needed to stress the individual talents of the Generation of Miracles to win. Nothing could beat us, but we weren't a team. The five of them approved, but I thought differently. I felt we lacked something important."

 _Winning being everything._ Kiddi thought solemnly. _How can someone agree with something so ridiculous?_ Kiddi had a feeling she wouldn't have gotten along with any of these so called 'miracles'. _They seem miraculously annoying._ Kiddi nearly sighed aloud at herself. _Note to self, stop letting Izuki influence you._

"So, what? Are you going to beat the Generation of Miracles your own way?" Kagami questioned with a grin.

"Of course he is." They turned to Kiddi as she smiled in amusement and...fondness. _Wonder when I got so attached...It's only been a few days_. "Such a Kuroko thing to say...man, you've got some brass ones."

"Please don't be so crude, Ginsuya-san." Kuroko turned to her with a slight smile, despite his words, before turning back to Kagami. "Besides, my motivations have changed a bit. The coach's and your words really struck me. Now, my reason for playing is trying to make you and our team the best in Japan."

"We're not going to try, we're going to succeed!" Kagami and Kuroko didn't break eye contact, Kagami smirked. "We're gonna _be_ the best."

Kiddi looked on in slight amazement. _I still feel a little out of place, this feels like more of a team thing. Where do I fit in?_

Kuroko turned to her as she was slightly lost in her thoughts. "You are part of this team, Ginsuya-chan."

Kiddi jumped slightly in her seat, turning to face Kuroko who was looking back intently...almost sadly. Kiddi smiled back more brightly. "...Yeah."

"Stop it with the intimacy, you two are disgusting!"

* * *

Of course, friends or not, _part of the team_ or not, Kiddi would always be Kiddi.

"So, to skip or not to skip?"

'Yes. Definitely.'

"Glad to see we're finally on the same page!"

* * *

 **Writing that rooftop scene was so fun- I nearly died watching it in the anime. Furihata, Kawahara, and Fukuda's stunned commentary makes it all the better, so of course I couldn't leave that out. I had an oddly interesting time having Kiddi interact with them too.**

 **I was a little afraid about how I was going to write Lori until I remembered that I too have an adorable, pain-in-the-ass little brother and it was smooth sailing from there.**

 **Kiddi has a little bit of a self doubt issue that will become a bit more obvious later on.**

 **Please review!**


	5. Chapter 4 Box of Cupcakes

**Chapter 4- Box of Cupcakes**

Kiddi ditched her uniform that morning. (There was really no point to wearing one if she wasn't going to school. In fact, it would just be weird if she did.) Instead, she got dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a dark pink short-sleeve t-shirt. Heck, she even clipped her bangs out of her eyes with the gold clip Riko had gotten her ( _"Make an effort. If you're not going to cut them, at least get them out of your eyes." "But Ri-chan, it's easier to sleep in class this way." *whack*_ ).

"I wonder if I look a little too much like a girl…" Kiddi trailed off as she looked in the mirror.

Her outfit was fairly gender-neutral. Her jeans and t-shirt both weren't really form fitting, so any more womanly features- not that she had many to speak of- were covered. Still the t-shirt was a rather girly color. As for her hair, it was still short enough to easily pass for a boy's- the longest parts reaching her chin. The clip was the problem. Perhaps it was plain enough to work for a guy, but it wasn't especially typical…

"Eh." Kiddi shrugged. The whole 'she's a boy' farce was Riko's to begin with, Kiddi had no obligation to uphold it. Besides, what were the chances she'd even see her classmates today?

Kiddi grabbed her bag as she exited her room. The leather sack-type bag held all of her out-of-school necessities; her debit card, additional magic 8 ball, and phone (to name a few).

Unfortunately, as she opened her door, she heard one from out in the hallway close. From just a little bit to the left and across the hall, Lori met her eyes with disapproval. Kiddi met his eyes and...began to close her door.

"I've already seen you, Baka-nee-chan."

...Kiddi opened the door and sighed.

"Alright, caught. Don't tell dad?" Kiddi close to begged.

If it came down to her father asking, she would tell him the truth, she always did. Still, she'd rather avoid a situation like that. Her father would put on his worried face, try to act all tough and scolding, before breaking down and just telling her not to skip too much. So Kiddi obviously wouldn't get in _trouble_ , but she hated to see her dad trying so hard to play the tough role before breaking down. It was just depressing and unnatural.

Lori scoffed in offense. "As if I would. I don't want to see him try to act all parental and then freak out get all depressed. Who the hell do you think I am?"

Kiddi walked over to him and ruffled dark brown locks not unlike her own. "Thanks." She smiled, giving his head one last pat before walking down the hallway.

"Be back by nine, at the latest!" Lori called after her and Kiddi laughed.

 _Such a brat. Pick a mood, will you?_ Kiddi's eyes crinkled fondly as she snuck out of the house.

"Now, where to next?" She questioned herself as she walked. "I haven't visited Tep-senpai since a week before the beginning of school, so I could do that…" Kiddi paused and then let a grin overtake her face. "First, though...Didn't Riko want a declaration?" Kiddi faltered. "Is four hours really worth it, though? But I haven't seen Su-chan in a couple months, either…" Kiddi sighed before smiling. "Alright, to Akita it is!"

* * *

Making conversation with strangers on the bus was an interesting pastime of Kiddi's. After all, phone games just couldn't fully occupy her brilliant (sporadic) mind.

"So, where ya goin'?" Kiddi questioned as she kicked her feet back and forth. Man, she was lucky to have gotten a seat.

"Do I know you?" The man next to her questioned.

"I don't know. Do you?"

"No."

"Then why ask?"

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I could be twenty for all you know." Kiddi pointed out. _For all he knows_.

"With the maturity of a junior high schooler." The man retorted.

"Well played, my random train companion. Well played."

The train stopped and the man stood up.

"Is this your stop?" Kiddi questioned him.

"No." He replied and then walked off.

Kiddi occupied herself with whistling until another person sat down next to her- a woman who was cursing colorfully at her phone.

"I am seriously going to dump that asshole!"

"Why?" Kiddi questioned.

"Who said that?" The woman's head shot up and she looked around before her eyes narrowed on Kiddi with malice, like she had been commenting on a personal issue. Kiddi had the desire to inform her that it wasn't private if you cursed it out loud.

"Well...Socrates said it a lot."

"What?"

"Forget it." Kiddi waved it off. "So what did this dude do to earn 'asshole' status?" Not the mention every curse word in the Japanese language.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Lots of 'whys going around…" Kiddi mused and then stated, "It's easier to rant to strangers because they can't judge you face-to-face after you're done."

The woman huffed, but relented. And that was how Kiddi passed the majority of her time on the way to Akita- listening to a woman rant about her relationship troubles. Turns out he slept with her sister. Kiddi really hoped she made good on that declaration of dumping the asshole because that's just _gross_.

* * *

"He's eating all the sweets!"

"This is a bakery, Meiyuya-san."

"And you're my boss, so stop being so stuffy and call me Kou! Ah! Look, that giant is scaring away all our customers!"

"I believe that has more to do with your shouting, Meiyuya-san."

"Call me _Kou!"_

That was what Kiddi was greeted with as she walked into the bakery/cafe. Of course, while everyone outside the large glass storefront gazed on at the spectacle in discomfort or annoyance, Kiddi only walked in calmly. The door hit the bell with a _ding_ and the two arguing girls turned to her.

"Yo." Kiddi waved.

"Kiddi." The much calmer girl turned to her with a look of mild surprise. "It's been awhile since you last stopped by."

The calm girl being Kamekuzu Aotsuki, more commonly known as Suki. She was about as tiny as Ri-chan, but any comparison that could be made about that stops there. Suki's hair was chin-length, wavy, and caramel blonde and her wide eyes were a milk-chocolate brown color. Her skin was just as shockingly pale as Kiddi's. Another large difference between Ri-chan and her was Su-chan's significant feminine figure. Perhaps the only thing that _didn't_ scream cute about her was her thickly-framed, bright orange glasses.

"Yeah, it is." Kiddi agreed, shooting the much shorter girl a grin. "Did you miss your favorite cousin?"

"Oh?" A barely noticeable smirk made its way onto Suki's face. "Is Lori here, too?"

Kiddi gaped at her. "That's so mean, Su! I thought _I_ was your favorite cousin!"

"I almost like Shirei more than you."

"Ah! Take it back!"

"Oi!" Kou huffed in annoyance. "Brat, aren't you forgetting about me? I haven't seen you in just as long."

Kiddi looked over to Kou in sudden realization and laughed. Maybe it was just the super deep red hair, loudness, and rude attitude, but Kou was reminding her of Kagami.

Aside from that, Kou _was_ even a bit taller than herself, standing a good bit above her at around a hundred and eighty centimeters. Her skin was also decently tan, in sharp contrast to the pale figure of Suki standing next to her. Her onyx eyes were also sharp like she was always considering beating you half to death. Kou even has an athletic figure, being the total sports nut that she was.

Kou looked at her with plain irritation. "Stop laughing, brat!"

"Sorry." Kiddi apologized, wiping a stray tear from her face. "You just reminded me of a boy in my class."

Two seconds later, Kou had walked up to her and placed a heavy hand on her head, onyx eyes glinting threateningly. "Are you calling me boyish, _huh_?" Kou pressed down on her head roughly, making Kiddi wince as the girl put pressure on her skull. _Gack! They're so much alike!_

CRUNCH.

Kou stopped in her painful assault, letting her hand drop back to her side. Her, Kiddi, and Suki all turned to where a _giant_ with unusual lavender hair was sitting down at one of the tables, the entire area in front of him covered with muffin wrappers, plates, and crumbs from various different bakery items. Currently, he was snacking on a bag of chips.

Kiddi looked around at the various displays, seeing that there were only a few items left in the entirety of the shop. "What the hell?" Her mind went back to the conversation- argument?- Kou and Suki were engaged in when she entered the shop. Suddenly it made a whole lot more sense.

"AH!" Kou shouted, stomping over to the giant with an enraged look. "If you're done eating, GET OUT! You can't just hog the table while you snack on chips!"

"Eh?" The giant questioned confusedly between bites. "But there's no one else here…"

"Because of YOU!"

"Cut him some slack." Suki sighed, offering a smile to the bored-looking lilac-haired giant. "He's bought enough for about twenty people, anyway."

Kiddi gave her a flat look. "Your tone and actions say 'thank you for your patronage', but your words say 'you weirdo'."

"Thanks, Kame-chin." The giant spoke.

"-Chin?"

"What?"

"Please don't call me that." Suki twitched.

Kiddi looked at her oddly before her face split into a grin. "Oh, right!" Kiddi chuckled. "Cause it's basically like he just called you Turtle-chin."

"...Shirei just surpassed you."

"What?! No!"

Kou smirked at the giant as she sat down across from. "Nevermind, this is the most annoyed I've seen Suki-senpai since I've been here. Please stay."

"I guess you don't ever want a pay raise."

"...Nevermind. Just call her Suki, everyone does."

"Suki-chin?"

"Yeah, sure."

Kiddi looked on confusedly. "Wait...has he been here before?"

"First time, why?"

"He called Su-chan 'Kame-chin', but we didn't call her by her last name."

"We've got name tags, you dolt!"

"...Oh, right."

"You're in one of your stupid streaks, Kiddi."

"You two are so _mean!"_

CRUNCH.

Kiddi looked at the giant again in curiosity. He was wearing a high school uniform, but school had started hours ago. "Hey...shouldn't you be in school?"

The giant slanted heavy-lidded violet eyes to her. "...Shouldn't you?" He boredly replied before turning his attention back to his chips.

Kou and Suki both turned to her with flat expressions. "He's right." They chorused. Kiddi chuckled nervously as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"...I swear that I'm at least _here_ for a reason."

"And did you skip _school_ for a reason?" Suki questioned(interrogated).

"Yes."

"Other than your magic 8 ball?"

"...No."

Once again, her head was met with the horrible pressure of Kou's hand, rubbing her head roughly with a threatening grin. "That's no good, brat. You need your _education_ , considering how stupid you are in the first place."

"Ack! Giving me brain damage won't make me any smarter, either!"

Suki sighed and spoke up, "You said you're here for a reason?"

Kou released her head and Kiddi sighed in relief, straightening to answer Suki. "Ye-"

CRUNCH.

Kiddi turned to the giant with a deadpan look before walking over to one of the few baked items left in the store- a blue cheese biscuit- and grabbing it before placing it in front of him. "Eat this. I'll pay."

Violet eyes slanted up- surprisingly it still wasn't very far, despite the fact that he was sitting and Kiddi wasn't especially short (how giant _is_ this giant?)- to look at her. Kiddi jumped as a large hand was planted on her head, softly ruffling her hair before setting back down. "Thanks, Kiddi-chin."

"Er, I really only did it because you're crunching on chips was too loud to hold a conversation." Kiddi replied awkwardly.

The giant didn't seem to care, as he just turned his attention to the biscuit and began eating again. Kiddi watched him for a moment, puzzled, before she turned back to Suki.

"Anyways ("You're just dismissing it?!"), I wanted to buy a box of cupcakes, special order. Thirty six of them, mixed vanilla and chocolate with a special message."

Kou blinked at the odd request, mumbling a, "That's a lot of cupcakes."

Suki only grinned at her her eyes closed pleasantly, "When do you need them by?"

"Actually," Kiddi once again grinned sheepishly. "It would be best if you could get them to the Seirin high gym by 6:45 today."

Suki's grin twitched and her eyes opened to peer into Kiddi's, "...Seirin? In Tokyo?"

"...Hai." Kiddi confirmed nervously. She yelped as she avoided Kou's hand. "I need at least a few brain cells left by the end of the day!" She exclaimed. _Even if Ri-chan will kill those once I see her tomorrow._

"You're paying extra for delivery and inconvenience." Suki told her, smile dropped at that point. "Don't forget the biscuit, either."

Kou sighed. "I guess we can just have the newbie deliver it."

"Newbie?"

Suki pointed over to a girl crouching behind the counter, peering over at the giant. "Her. Sanzashi Koyoru. We call her Yoru."

Yoru- night. Well, true to her namesake, the girls longish straight hair was a very dark black, while her eyes- the only visible part of her features from her position hiding behind the counter- were a bright hazel. Kiddi thought she heard her mumbling something, so she discreetly stepped closer.

"What is he? ...A grape? ...A violet?"

Kiddi backed away, deciding she really didn't want to know. She still had to see Tep-senpai and she didn't have the mental capacity to deal with yet _another_ odd character (speak for yourself, Kiddi).

"Sounds...good." Kiddi agreed, taking out her debit card- man did her dad spoil her, it was a good thing she didn't use it often.

"What message did you want on them?" Suki questioned as she rung her up.

Kiddi turned her attention away from the weirdness and grinned at her cousin brightly. "Well-"

* * *

It was just so weird how Kiddi could walk into the solemn, anxious atmosphere of the hospital and then once she walked into his room and he noticed her, immediately beaming, it felt like she was suddenly at a park or something.

You know those kind of people? No matter if they speak, keep silent, or if you're in a shitty mood, they bring the sun back into your sky. Kiyoshi Teppei was truly one of those sunshiny people.

...Enough dramatic metaphors, though.

"Hey, Kiddi-chan."

"Tep-senpai!" Kiddi cheered as she closed the door and sat down on a chair next to his bed, then immediately holding out her hand. "Can I see your phone?"

"Eh?...sure?" Teppei questioned confusedly, although he still kept the smile and handed over his phone.

Kiddi grabbed it with a grin. "Great! I'm confiscating this for the duration of our conversation!"

"What?" Kiyoshi blinked. "Why?"

"So that you can't tell on me to Ri-chan until I'm looong gone!"

"That so?" Kiyoshi smiled fondly, placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair. "So I guess you decided to go to Seiren after all?"

"I would have gone, anyway." Kiddi admitted. "You guys are like a second family."

Kiyoshi grinned and ruffled her hair some more. "Oh? When did you become so sentimental?"

Kiddi blinked curiously and then let a smile slip onto her face. "I wonder…Oh!" Kiddi shuffled around in her bag and brought out a small brown box with 'Kamekuza Cafe' in turquoise cursive letters. "This is for you."

"A cupcake?" Kiyoshi picked up the box and opened it. "With...an exclamation mark on it?"

"It's part of a larger message." Kiddi waved it off.

"And you gave me the exclamation mark?"

"I thought it was 'fun~'! Ne, Tep-senpai?" Kiddi grinned widely at the bedridden brunette.

"Ah, right you are." Kiyoshi smiled before biting into the cupcake.

Kiddi chattered on as he ate. She talked about Kuroko and his smartass attitude. She talked about Kagami and his rude way of speaking. She talked about how Riko nearly made her shout her goal from the rooftops, but they were caught by the teacher- at that point he briefly glanced down at the cupcake.

"Will your message be as impactful without the exclamation mark?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind, continue~!"

Then, Kiddi mentioned how Riko convinced all of the first years (omitting Kuroko) that she was a boy. Kiyoshi choked on his last bite of cupcake and Kiddi panicked, shouting out for water. The nurse came in with a glass, but made sure to mention that there was a machine _literally_ right across the hall and that shouting in a hospital inhibits recovery. She was calmed by a smile from Kiyoshi.

"It sounds like you're enjoying being manager." Kiyoshi commented after he finished the cup of water and Kiddi was done with her rambling.

"Yeah." Kiddi agreed before giving a sheepish grin, brows furrowed somewhat uneasily. "I'm still not sure where I fit in, though."

Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed slightly in concern. "What do you mean?"

Kiddi gave him a deadpan look. "You know what I mean, or else you wouldn't be making that face. Don't ask trick questions."

"You're a part of the team~!" Kiyoshi assured with a carefree grin. _Yeah right, don't pull that on me._

"Not really as essential part, though~!" Kiddi chimed in with a deceptively cheerful smile to match Kiyoshi's own.

"You don't mean that~!" Kiyoshi's voice was still cheerful.

"In the end, I wonder if they'll figure out I really don't belong."

Kiddi's words seemed to drop the temperature in the room by several degrees. Actually, that might have been Kiyoshi's resulting expression. Not a trace of a smile could be seen on either face as the girl's words echoed silently between them. Neither spoke for a moment, before Kiyoshi broke it.

"You know, this makes me think back to before my accident." Kiyoshi stated and Kiddi looked at him in confusion. "You've always been pretty lazy, but you fought for the things that were important to you."

Kiddi narrowed her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're giving up without really trying."

"Yeah, well-"

Kiddi halted when Kiyoshi picked up the small bakery box and handed it to her. "If you're really so ready to give up, then what was this about?"

Kiddi turned to the side, a frown on her face. "You don't even know what it _said_."

"I think I know you well enough." Kiyoshi said, his voice regaining the previous note of cheer. "Which is how I also know you came here more for yourself than you did for me."

"Sorry." Kiddi mumbled.

"That's not what I meant." Kiyoshi waved her apology off. "Come back anytime you need me to talk you out of quitting. I won't tell Riko."

"Thanks, Tep-senpai!" Kiddi grinned.

"Fake cheer looks awful on you."

"Oh, like _you're_ one to talk."

* * *

Kiddi sucked in a breath as she looked at the text that Riko had sent her. It was only a picture, not a single word aside from the ones in the photo, drawn onto the courtyard of her school with chalk, the giant characters spelt out, "We will be the best in Japan". The text contained no other words... because there didn't need to be.

"Well done...Kuroko." Kiddi smiled to herself.

 _That's right_. All of the worries she'd confided to Kiyoshi seemed silly now. _I...will do my best._ Kiddi's eyes shone with determination. _Because my team is doing their best too!_

* * *

"Here." Kou handed Koyoru the large box of mixed cupcakes, the bakery's name in turquoise lettering stark against the dark brown.

"You have exactly four hours and forty-five minutes to get this to Seirin High School's gym. Don't be late." Suki reminded her from across the room.

"Is this a spy movie?" Koyoru deadpanned as the box was placed into her hands awkwardly. Koyoru had never seen a girl as tall as Meiyuya, and it wasn't like she was short either. Her own 5'4 was still above the regional average.

"Yes." Meiyuya flatly confirmed, then plastered on a threatening grin. "I've planted a bomb in those cupcakes and terrible things will happen if you don't get it to the proper destination on time."

"Seriously, Meiyuya-senpai?" Koyoru sighed.

"Unless you don't think that being barred from the pastry chef job for another six months is a terrible thing." Suki chimed in, voice without a glimmer of humor.

"Yes ma'am, I understand." Koyoru immediately bowed and then walked out of the store.

"Talk about threatening into compliance." Kou whistled lowly.

"I merely gave her an ultimatum."

"I'm pretty sure that's a synonym of threatening. Seriously, though, Yoru's a _really_ good baker. Why not just give her the job?"

"Why should I?" Suki's lips lifted up into a mocking imitation of a smile. "If I ask her to bake something then she'll bake it and I can still force her to do menial tasks. If I officially give her the job then I won't have something she wants to hold over her head and we have to hire someone else to clean the bathrooms."

Kou eyed Suki uncomfortably. "...You're scary, Suki."

"Thank you, Meiyuya-san."

"Call me Kou!"

* * *

Koyoru was not okay with this. Not at all. Four hours on a train with a box of 36 cupcakes was not alright. Really, four hours for a simple cupcake delivery was just ridiculous. Kamekuza's cousin was crazy. Why didn't she just have a local bakery do the order? It was insane.

Gosh she hated being the newest employee, she always got the miscellaneous tasks. All she wanted to do was _bake!_ What was the point in working at a bakery if she didn't bake? She swore that Kamekuza just liked torturing her. Her boss was a devil, no matter how cute she looked!

"Seirin. Seirin. Seirin." Koyoru muttered as she walked down the street. Finally she spotted the school in the distance. "There it is."

As she walked onto the campus, she spotted a speck of yellow in the corner of her eyes and stopped, turning to stare at what she could now tell was a _person_ with bright yellow hair. For a minute, Koyoru just stared. Then, out of nowhere, she muttered, "A banana? No, maybe a lemon? Or even just yellow cake. Not all three, that would be gross…" The clamoring of fangirl's over the gorgeous blonde was merely background noise to her as Koyoru continued to muse over what sweet best fit his appearance.

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her trance.

 _ **From: The Devil**_

 _ **Sanzashi-chan, I hope you know you only have ten minutes left to make the delivery. Text to confirm when you deliver the goods. I hope I don't have to extend your probationary period.**_

Koyoru shivered despite herself. Sometimes it was like she was working for the mob instead of a bakery. She wondered why her boss even ran a bakery when it was so obvious her true love was photography, if the constant snapping of pictures in her free moments was any indication. Still, if that wasn't the case then there would be no Kamekuza bakery and as much fault as she found with her boss, her bakery was the best in Akita.

Koyoru's phone buzzed again and she huffed, moving forward with purpose. It wasn't hard to find the gym. When she had gone to Tōō she spent a lot of time there. It was pretty much the same as here. "From inside look for the huge double doors from outside…" Koyoru smirked as the gym came into view, "The outdoor courts."

Koyoru strode purposefully forward, completely focused on her task and fully determined not to give her devil of a boss a reason not to promote her. She leaned back on the doors as she kept the three dozen ("Kami, what the fuck was Kamekuza's cousin _thinking?"_ ) cupcakes firmly in her arms.

"Delivery from Kamekuza bakery!" She called out before she was even all the way through the door.

She eased off the door and looked ahead to where several male high school students in sweats were standing, along with a small, short-haired brunette girl who she knew wasn't Kamekuza's cousin. Well, she'd only met- what was her name? Kiddi. Yeah- Kiddi once, but the lack of almost silvery light grey eyes and somewhat excessive height for a girl- although nothing compared to Meiyuya's towering hundred and eighty centimeter frame (Seriously, is she even Japanese?). Shouldn't she be here for the delivery? Was it supposed to be a surprise gift? Screw that! If Koyoru had to be here Kamekuza's cousin should too!

"Ano, who are those for?"

Koyoru- rightfully- jumped at the sudden voice coming from right besides her. Unfortunately, the movement left her grip on the box of cupcakes loose and she could only watch in shock and horror as they slipped through her fingers. It was almost as if time had slowed for the sole purpose of letting Koyoru watch her chances at her dream job slip- literally- through her fingers.

Then a pair of hands caught it and Koyoru could only gape at the kneeling pretty-faced, black-haired, sharp-eyed male. Sparkles appeared all around him and atop his head Koyoru _swore_ she could see a halo.

She completely missed the boy's muttered, "sweet save", but the other occupants of the room's pained groans proved that _they_ had not. He rose from the ground and carefully handed the box back to her.

Koyoru stares at him, starry-eyed as she muttered, "Angel."

"Uh…" The brunette girl hesitantly spoke up from the background and Koyoru looked past the haze of sparkles and the shine of a halo to see her confused expression. "Do you need us to...direct you anywhere?"

Koyoru blinked out of her daze and then looked down at her arms as if _just_ remembering she was here for something other than eyeing the male in front of her like he was the second coming of Christ. "No...Sorry, these are for you. From Ginsuya Kiddi." Then, she awkwardly handed the box _back_ to her savior and made to leave when she noticed a flicker of blue at her side and flinched before turning to face a boy just about a few centimeters taller than her with _blue hair_.

Not blueberry blue, not anything-she-could-compare-a-sweet _-_ to blue and Koyoru found herself muttering, "What the _fuck_?"

The blue-haired boy blinked and apathetically stated, "I apologize if I startled you."

"Never mind that." Koyoru waved his words off like they were a cloud of smoke. "What the hell is up with your hair? Is that dye?"

"My hair is not dyed."

"You've got to be kidding me." Koyoru looked particularly stricken, but the rest of the team watched on in baffled confusion. Koyoru eyed him. Light colors, pale skin, plain-ish, blank expression. "Screw it. You're vanilla. Goodbye." She walked past Kuroko and waved over her shoulder as she was exiting the door. "Enjoy the cupcakes!"

Once she was outside, Koyoru let out a breath and began muttering, "I can't believe I dropped the cupcakes. I can't believe I cussed one of them out. This is all that Kiddi's fault. She should have had Kamekuza put a disclaimer on the box. Like, 'Hey, beware of short, blue-haired ghost ninjas'. I hope I never have to do a fucking delivery again."

* * *

They stared at the door for a long, silent moment. Finally, Riko sighed and shouted, "Alright! That happened, I'm sure we can all get over it! Izuki!" She pointed over towards the male holding the cupcakes with the still confused expression that seemed to be the generally accepted reaction to the event that had just occurred- the exceptions being Kuroko, who remained miraculously blank-faced and Hyuuga, who was irritably muttering about Kiddi _definitely_ being more trouble than she was worth. "Open the box!"

They all gathered around the bench and Izuki placed the box down. He looked hesitant for a second before Riko glared at him and he flipped open the lid of the box.

There, a letter on each cupcake excluding those functioning as spaces, spelt, **'I will help the team in their goals'**

They stared. And stared. Then stared some more...and then suddenly all began talking at once.

"Well, it's very Kiddi but-"

"Way more trouble than she's-"

"That cheesy little-"

"I suppose this is Ginsuya-chan's-"

"This _de_ claration is lacking _ex_ clamation-"

"I think the h is smeared-"

But they were all slightly smiling.

* * *

 **Two main character introduction scenes in one chapter? That's what I call efficiency. Sorry no Kise and Kiddi meeting, I worked and re-worked the scene but I couldn't find a way for Kiddi to fit into it and it goes against her personality to return to the gym and risk being there when the cupcakes arrive.**

 **In all seriousness though, I thought up Suki and her bakery before I even** _ **considered**_ **how I was going to introduce Murasakibara. Originally it was supposed to be in Tokyo and then I made the Murasakibara-sweets connection. Since a four hour commute for sweets would be ridiculous, even for him, I decided it would be in Akita.**

 **Kou is** _ **not**_ **a female Kagami, by the way, it just worked out so that they were sort of similar.**

 **Review?**


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